Is anyone else bored with Pharrell Williams? Sure, he might have the Midas touch when it comes to contemporary pop hits, but Happy is still EVERYWHERE, his name gets on everything and his album was disappointing.
And now he’s lending a hand to Ed Sheeran with his comeback
single, Sing. It’s not such a farfetched choice though, as
Sheeran’s music has often had an element of funk and hip-hop (see You Need Me, I Don’t Need You).
That said, this is very much a change of style for Sheeran
and a welcome one. As decent as most of ‘+’
was, nobody could stand another album of acoustic love ballads. With its rhythmic guitar playing, heavy beats
and “whoooa” chorus hook this is certainly a more upbeat and exciting track
than we’re used to, even if the lyrics lack the same bite and/or emotion of his
past material.
The song has plenty in common with Justin Timberlake’s Like I Love You, in particular the
emphasis on falsetto vocals, essentially making Sing Sheeran’s Justin moment. Whilst he’s always excelled at performing
live, it’ll be interesting to see if he’s sexy and cool enough to pull it off
in front of a live audience.
3/5
Listen: Sing is taken from forthcoming album 'x' released on June 23rd.
